The Storm: Book 1
by A.Pile.Of.Eraser.Shavings
Summary: Three young cats from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain. Silverstripe begins to think she's crazy when former medicine cat Willowshine gives her this prophecy. But she has no idea it's about her kits.
1. Prologue

**Hey, it's xx-Starfall-xx on my third account. Yes, I have three accounts. Deal with it. I've always wanted to make my own cats of the Clans and to see an original Warriors story with cats not in ThunderClan, so I made up my own cats! They have normal names without using thunder, river, wind, shadow, star, or moon in any of the first parts of the names. There are no stupid names like Fireshadow or Blacklight. Just normal ones. Plus, none of my cats are Mary-Sues or Gary-Stus. The main cat is not super beautiful with sparkling eyes and a shiny, glossy pelt, nor hated and rejected by the Clan. She's just normal too. But of course she's part of a huge prophecy. So here is the prologue. **

_Thunder echoed off the large trees _and shook the forest. Sharp rain splattered onto the ground and lightning split across the dark sky. The fire was slowly being pounded into ashes as rainwater washed it into embers. Smoky mist hung heavily in the air. And in the midst of it all, a silver tabby she-cat huddled beneath the underbrush with three tiny, mewling kits nestled against her belly. Her dark blue eyes gleamed with worry and fear.

_Great StarClan, where is he?_ The queen wondered in alarm and urge. She licked her newborn kits, trying to keep them warm, and wrapped her tail over them.

Finally, a dark gray tom slipped under the underbrush. "Silverstripe, how are the kits?"

"Stormfeather! I thought you were lost!" Silverstripe sighed, licking her mate on the ear tenderly. "They are fine, but in these conditions, I'm not sure they can survive much longer. They are cold and wet."

"We must name them."

"What?" Silverstripe appeared shocked at her mate's request. "How can you think about naming them at a time like this, when they have a chance of dying?"

"If one of us dies, we will have something to remember the love we shared-a name! A thing to remember each other by."

Silverstripe sighed and nodded, realizing that Stormfeather was right. The rain had slowed to a fine drizzle, but thunder still shook the trees. "I'll name two and you name one." She gently nosed the gray tabby she-cat with a white belly and meowed, "She will be known as Mistkit, in honor of the smoky mist that hangs around us and makes the forest seem calmer."

Stormfeather nudged the silver tabby she-cat with white paws and belly. "She will be known as Echokit, in honor of the thunder that echoes off the trees."

"He will be known as Ashkit," Silverstripe finished, gesturing to the dark gray tabby tom, "in honor of the ashes that now lay on the ground where the fire once was."

Suddenly, everything stopped. The rain and thunder stopped, the wind rattling the trees stopped, and everything grew bright. Two figures were floating down from the sky, silhouetted in a yellow light. As they neared the ground, Silverstripe could just make out a golden spotted tabby she-cat and a slender pale gray she-cat strolling towards them, their pawsteps light and swift.

"Greetings, Stormfeather and Silverstripe," the golden tabby meowed. "I am Leopardstar, former leader of RiverClan. This is Willowshine, former medicine cat of RiverClan. We have come with a message for you. A message about your kits."

Silverstripe glanced down at the three tiny, innocent bundles that lay helplessly at the curve of her belly. What message could there possibly be about these scraps of fur?

"_Three young cats from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain," _Willowshine prophesized. Stormfeather's eyes widened in horror and confusion.

Silverstripe was too much in shock to respond. She watched, in awe, as the two old RiverClan cats padded away into the sky.

Nothing was ever the same for the Clans again.

**­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­**

**Ooh, eerie ending there. I hope the prophecy isn't too lame. –Reads it over again- Okay, yeah, it is. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I tried! **

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	2. Allegiances

**Hello, all, xx-Starfall-xx, here. I'm just on my third account. Whoop-de-doo. Here are the allegiances. By the way, I am only adding the kits and elders in RiverClan, so…sorry if you really like reading all my weird elders…**

RIVERCLAN

Leader: **Cinderstar-** fluffy smoky black she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: **Eaglefeather-** white-gray tom with dark blue eyes

Medicine Cat: **Leafwhisper-** light tabby she-cat with white paws and belly, and green eyes

_Apprentice, Owlpaw _

Warriors:

**Mossheart-** black she-cat with a white belly and hazel eyes

_Apprentice, Morningpaw_

**Brackenclaw- **golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Snowpaw_

**Ravenflight-** smoky black tom with dark brown eyes

**Birchclaw-** tabby tom with green eyes

_Apprentice, Mistpaw_

**Wingfeather-** longhaired pale gray she-cat with ice-blue eyes

**Rosethorn-** golden-ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Flamefur-** dark ginger tom with dark green eyes

_Apprentice, Echopaw_

**Specklefur-** pale tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes

**Stormfeather-** dark gray tom with dark blue eyes

_Apprentice, Ripplepaw_

**Sageleaf- **gray tabby tom with lighter gray paws and light green eyes

_Apprentice, Redpaw_

**Silverstripe- **silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Pinepaw_

**Gorseclaw- **tabby tom with green eyes

_Apprentice, Ashpaw_

**Splashfur- **bright tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes

**Willowbreeze-** slender pale gray she-cat with green eyes

**Sprucefoot- **long-legged dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentices:

**Ripplepaw- **gray tabby tom with dark blue eyes

**Snowpaw-** white she-cat with blue eyes

**Morningpaw-** tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Echopaw-** silver tabby she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

**Mistpaw-** gray tabby she-cat with a white belly and blue eyes

**Ashpaw-** dark gray tabby tom with dark blue eyes

**Owlpaw-** light tabby tom with amber eyes

**Redpaw-** reddish-ginger tabby tom with dark green eyes

**Pinepaw-** dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Queens:

**Icepool- **white she-cat with ice-blue eyes, mother of Flamefur's kits: Foxkit, Frozenkit, and Bouncekit

**Dawncloud-** tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, mother of Brackenclaw's kits: Petalkit, Honeykit, Grasskit, and Swiftkit

**Nightfeather-** black she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Sageleaf's unborn kits.

Kits:

**Foxkit- **dark ginger tom with white paws and belly and amber eyes

**Frozenkit-** white she-kit with ice-blue eyes

**Bouncekit-** ginger tom with blue eyes

**Petalkit-** tortoiseshell and white she-kit with bright green eyes

**Honeykit-** golden-brown tabby she-kit with green eyes

**Grasskit-** golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Swiftkit-** black and white tom with dark blue eyes (found and placed under the care of Dawncloud)

Elders:

**Whiteface- **black she-cat with a distinctive white face and yellow eyes

**Amberleaf-** reddish-brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Briarclaw-** dark brown she-cat

**Blossompetal-** tortoiseshell queen with white patches and dark blue eyes

THUNDERCLAN

Leader: **Stonestar-** gray tabby tom with yellow eyes

Deputy: **Cedarclaw-** dark brown tabby tom with brown eyes

Medicine Cat: **Duskshadow-** dark tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors:

**Thistletail-** ginger tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Streampaw_

**Sootclaw- **gray-brown tom with amber eyes

**Hawktalon-** big gray tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Graypaw_

**Thornstripe- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Sharppaw_

**Firestorm- **dark ginger tom with green eyes

**Tawnyfur-** tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Rainpaw_

**Bluefeather- **blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Jayflight-** gray tabby tom with dark blue eyes

**Minnowtail-** silver tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

_Apprentice, Thymepaw_

**Larchwing- **tabby she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Dustpaw_

**Hazelwing- **golden-brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Mudpaw_

**Poppyspots- **white she-cat with brown flecks and green eyes

**Rootclaw- **sandy-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Dapplepaw_

**Brightflower- **ginger she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Reedpaw_

**Cloudwhisker- **white she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:

**Sharppaw- **big ginger tom with amber eyes

**Mudpaw-** brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Dustpaw-** gray-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Streampaw-** gray tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Graypaw-** dark gray tabby tom with dark blue eyes

**Rainpaw-** blue-gray tom with blue eyes

**Reedpaw-** black tom with dark green eyes

**Thymepaw-** tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Dapplepaw-** tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Queens:

**Dewpetal- **gray tabby she-cat with white paws and chest and blue eyes, mother of Sootclaw's kits: Featherkit and Pebblekit

**Emberflame- **dark ginger she-cat with green eyes, mother of Hawktalon's unborn kits

WINDCLAN

Leader: **Sorrelstar- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: **Robinflight- **reddish tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Medicine Cat: **Shadewing- **gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Bramblepaw_

Warriors:

**Ferntail- **tortoiseshell she-cat with a slightly short tail and green eyes

_Apprentice, Shrewpaw_

**Blackwhisker- **black tom with yellow eyes

_Apprentice, Patchpaw_

**Hollytail- **black and white she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Sandpaw_

**Scorchfur- **small black tom with a hint of dark ginger fur and amber eyes

**Frozenpool-** white she-cat with ice-blue eyes

**Rabbitfoot-** swift light tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Flowerpaw_

**Lionclaw- **golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Blazefur-** dark ginger tom with dark green eyes

**Stripefur- **brown she-cat with dark black tabby stripes and amber eyes

**Heatherwhisker- **gray-brown she-cat with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Skypaw_

**Goldenfeather-** golden tabby she-cat with slightly long fur and green eyes

_Apprentice, Beechpaw_

**Seedfur- **brown tom with black flecks and amber eyes

_Apprentice, Littlepaw_

**Crowflight- **smoky black tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Squirrrelpaw_

**Runningbreeze- **swift black and white tom

**Adderfang- **pale gray tabby tom with yellow eyes

Apprentices:

**Shrewpaw- **small brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Patchpaw-** black and white tom with dark blue eyes

**Beechpaw-** brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Sandpaw-** pale ginger tom with green eyes

**Flowerpaw-** ginger she-cat with a white belly and green eyes

**Skypaw-** ginger she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Bramblepaw-** large brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Littlepaw-** small gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Squirrelpaw-** light tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Queens:

**Ivyclaw- **gray tabby she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Blazefur's unborn kits

**Sunstripe- **ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes, mother of Rabbitfoot's kits: Cloverkit, Oakkit, and Kestrelkit

**Spottedfoot- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Seedfur's unborn kits

SHADOWCLAN

Leader: **Talonstar- **big black and white tom with yellow eyes

Deputy: **Smokeheart- **dark gray tabby tom with dark green eyes

Medicine Cat: **Drizzlepelt- **white tom with gray flecks and blue eyes

_Apprentice, Dovepaw_

Warriors:

**Sedgewhisker- **gray tabby tom with long whiskers and green eyes

_Apprentice, Goldpaw_

**Rushingstream- **blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Aspenpaw_

**Nettleclaw- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Tinyfoot-** small white she-cat with green eyes

**Sparrowflight-** black tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Mintpaw_

**Mousefoot- **gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Clawpelt-** brown tom with dark black tabby stripes and amber eyes

_Apprentice, Fogpaw_

**Lightfeather- **pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Fawnfur-**light tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Thrushfeather-**tabby she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Toadpaw_

**Pouncetail- **brown tabby tom with bright green eyes

_Apprentice, Daisypaw _

**Darkfoot- **smoky black tom with yellow eyes

_Apprentice, Mistypaw_

**Browntail- **brown tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice, Quailpaw_

**Berrywhisker- **white she-cat with pale green eyes

**Brindlefur- **tabby she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices:

**Goldpaw- **golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Toadpaw-** dark gray tabby tom with dark green eyes

**Dovepaw-** small cream-colored she-cat with blue eyes

**Aspenpaw-** gray tabby tom with green eyes

**Mintpaw-** gray she-cat with pale green eyes

**Fogpaw-** dark gray tom with dark blue eyes

**Daisypaw-** ginger she-cat with white paws and green eyes

**Mistypaw-** blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Quailpaw-** tan tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Queens:

**Tawnyfur- **tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Nettleclaw's kits: Volekit and Applekit

**Birdflight- **ginger she-cat with green eyes, mother of Sedgewhisker's kits: Harekit, Barkkit, and Rockkit

CATS OUTSIDE CLANS

**Snowcap- **big white tom with ice-blue eyes, loner

**Peach-** pale ginger she-cat with green eyes, loner, mother of Stripes, Icicle, Purr, and Daisy

**Stripes-** ginger tom kit with darker stripes and green eyes

**Icicle-** white tom kit with ice-blue eyes

**Purr-** ginger she-kit with blue eyes

**Daisy-** white she-kit with ginger patches and green eyes

**Ross-** gray tabby tom with dark blue eyes, loner

**Claw-** mottled brown tabby tom with one green eye and one amber eye, rogue

**Thunder-** big golden tabby tom with amber eyes, rogue


	3. One

**Yay! Chapter one! –grin- This is the only chapter that will be from Silverstripe's point of view. Nothing really happens in this chapter. The point of it is just to introduce some of the characters, I guess. Enjoy!**

_Pawsteps echoed against the ground. An _icy wind blew. Dewdrops brushed against her legs. A dense mist hung over the forest like a damp pelt. The soot floor was covered in thick black ashes.

_I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy._

_They're beautiful!_

_Where is he?_

Voices boomed in her ear, whispering words of the past. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Trying to ignore the eerie murmuring. Rain pelted the ground.

_I'm not crazy!_

_I thought you were lost. _

_Let's name them._

The ground split apart. She gripped desperately clung to the grass, trying not to glance down at the swirling black pit below her. But it sucked her in.

_The smoky mist that hangs around us and makes the forest seem calmer._

_The thunder that echoes off the trees._

_The ashes that now lay on the ground where the fire once was._

Suddenly, light streamed through her eyelids. Scents of prey and moss filled her senses.

"Where are they?" she gasped. She glanced around frantically, searching for the three familiar bundles of gray fur.

"Where are who?"

Silverstripe gazed up to see a longhaired gray she-cat hovering over her, a worried expression spread across her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Wingfeather," Silverstripe assured. "I…just had a strange dream."

"Perhaps you should talk to Leafwhisper about it."

"It wasn't prophetic, or anything. It was just a nightmare."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Silverstripe and Wingfeather had been best friends ever since they were in the nursery, along with Rosethorn. Sometimes Silverstripe got annoyed with how much Wingfeather got worried over the smallest things, so she snapped at her without thinking.

"I'm taking Pinepaw out training today." Silverstripe rose to her paws and followed Wingfeather out of the warriors' den.

"I remember when I trained Willowbreeze. She was so sweet and gentle, but when she got into battle mode, she could've ripped the fur off of all of LionClan's warriors!" Wingfeather meowed. Silverstripe grabbed a magpie off the fresh-kill pile and nodded as she listened. Wingfeather and Rosethorn were older than Silverstripe, so they'd both had apprentices before her. _Oh, well, _Silverstripe thought, _At least I've got an apprentice right now and they don't._

"…Rosethorn and I took our apprentices out training together," Wingfeather continued to ramble. "Sprucefoot was always hard on Willowbreeze…"

Silverstripe shifted her mind away from apprentices and back to her dream. Words filled her ears again, whispering: _I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!_

"Um…no, you're not…I guess."

Silverstripe focused onto Wingfeather's puzzled stare. "What? I'm not what?" Silverstripe inquired.

"You said, 'I'm not crazy' and I was just agreeing with you."

"I said that? When?"

"Just now, mousebrain!"

"I did?"

"Yes! Would I lie about that?" Wingfeather's face grew even more confused every word Silverstripe blurted out.

"Oh. Well…" Silverstripe's ears burned. "I…I didn't notice. I was just thinking…about something."

There was an awkward silence between the two friends as they finished their meal and began grooming themselves, until Wingfeather pointed out, "Oh, there's Pinepaw. You'd better go on."

Silverstripe stood, waved her tail goodbye, and hurried over to her apprentice. "Good morning, Pinepaw!"

The dark brown tabby tom glanced up from licking the base of his tail and his green eyes immediately lit up. "Morning, Silverstripe! What're we doing today?"

"We're going to do a little battle training. Let's go!" She turned and dashed out of the camp. She could hear Pinepaw's pawsteps thudding against the dew-soaked soot and his sharp breathing. Once they reached the training hollow, Silverstripe slowed to a stop and sat there, panting. A few heartbeats later Pinepaw caught up to her.

"You keep up quite well," Silverstripe commented, and thought a bit. Then she added, "for an _apprentice."_

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "You were an apprentice once too, you know." Silverstripe nodded. "I know. Now let's begin. I'm going to teach you how to play dead."

Pinepaw looked puzzled. "Play dead? This is a fighting move?"

"Of course. If your opponent has you pinned down, act like you're dead. Then his grip will loosen up a bit so you can spring up at him and attack him by surprise."

"Clever," Pinepaw commented thoughtfully. "But what if he doesn't loosen his grip?"

"Chances are by 99% that he will because he will think that he already killed you, so his job is done. Let's try it. I'll pin you down and you stop struggling."

"So…all I have to do is quit moving?"

"Exactly." Silverstripe pinned the apprentice down and meowed, "Go ahead."

Pinepaw struggled, but then slowly went limp. Even his breathing stopped. Silverstripe took one paw off of his chest and waited for him to leap up at her.

She waited.

But nothing happened.

"Pinepaw, you're supposed to leap up at me, remember?" Silverstripe glanced down at his apprentice, whose eyes were wide and unmoving. "Pinepaw."

No response.

"Pinepaw!"

Nothing.

Silverstripe felt panic tighten in her throat. She leapt off his apprentice and knelt down beside him. Had her weight crushed him? Had he stopped breathing for so long that his heart stopped? "Pinepaw, get up! Pinepaw!" She shook her apprentice, pushing her paws into his side. "Pine-"

Pinepaw let out a screech and leapt at Silverstripe, who was obviously unprepared. Still shocked, Silverstripe gave a yelp and was pinned to the ground. Pinepaw pressed his paws against her chest and panted, "How was that?"

"I…I thought…" Silverstripe couldn't believe it. "…You…I…"

"Did you think I was really dead?" Pinepaw's eyes beamed. "Did I play dead well?"

Once Silverstripe caught her breath, she gasped a shaky, "Yes! Now…get off me…you great furball!"

Pinepaw stood aside and watched as Silverstripe scrambled to her paws. "Sorry for scaring you," he meowed. Silverstripe twitched her ears. "It's okay. At least you got the point of the lesson. How about we work on hunting now? I haven't taught you how to hunt a rabbit yet. If there are even any rabbits in this territory."

After the training session ended, Silverstripe let Pinepaw go back to the camp while she hunted a bit. She trotted through the forest, feeling the sunlight warm her silver tabby pelt. Silverstripe tasted the air and whispered, "Vole."

She followed the scent to a large tree where the tiny brown creature was sitting, preening himself. Just as Silverstripe was about to begin stalking, she heard a voice.

"Silverstripe."

She ignored the murmuring and crept toward the vole.

"Silverstripe."

An eerie wind brushed over the trees, rustling the leaves. "Silverstripe."

The vole glanced up, and, upon seeing Silverstripe, darted away. Silverstripe gave a frustrated growl and tried to catch up to the vole, her claws unsheathed and her eyes glued on the brown rodent. It scampered into a hole and she stood there, panting. "Who is that?" she yowled in aggravation.

A pale gray she-cat padded over to Silverstripe, green eyes aglow. Her slender body was silhouetted in silver light.

"Willowbreeze?" Silverstripe realized after tasting the air. Willowbreeze said nothing except, _"Three young cats from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain. _The three are here, Silverstripe."

After a tense silence, Silverstripe finally managed to choke out, "You…you're not Willowbreeze! Who are you?"

"I am Willowshine." The gray she-cat's eyes were changing color…from green to blue. Silverstripe backed away in horror as Willowshine whispered, "The three are here!"

"What are the 'three'?" Silverstripe demanded.

"You know who the three are from your one of the four."

"_What?"_

"You'll understand when the thunder and rain arrive." Willowshine was disappearing. Silverstripe raced to her, demanding, "Wait! Tell me who the three are!" But Willowshine had already vanished, leaving an eerie aura throughout the forest.

**Wow! Nice ending, for once! I'm proud of this chapter, but it is certainly a long one…-scrolls through it with eyes wide- I really hope you guys enjoyed it. See ya!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	4. Two

**Chapter two! This chapter will be in Echopaw and Streampaw's points of view. So…enjoy, I guess!**

_Thunder rumbled and awoke Echopaw. Her _dark blue eyes shot open and her ears swiveled. She was lying in the apprentices' den between Mistpaw and Owlpaw.

_Aw, mousedung! _Echopaw thought as she groomed her paw. _I was going to go out training with Flamefur today. Foxbrained thunderstorm._

As if it had heard her cursing it, thunder roared even louder and shook the trees. Echopaw curled back up into a ball and thought about current events. The Gathering was in a quarter moon. She personally didn't like Gatherings; there were too many cats there and a bunch of other apprentices always tried to talk to her. She just nodded and mewed her name quietly. Echopaw had been an apprentice for two moons and had been to only one Gathering. Maybe it was just that one that was so horrible, and they were usually fun.

A silhouette loomed above her and water dripped onto her head. Echopaw glanced up to see Redpaw, whose dark ginger fur was matted against his flanks. "Redpaw, what happened to you?" Echopaw demanded.

"I was out on the moonhigh patrol and we got caught in the thunderstorm." Redpaw circled his nest and curled up.

"You should go see Leafwhisper. You could get whitecough."

"I'm fine. Just cold and tired."

"That's the point," Echopaw meowed in frustration. "If you're cold and tired, you're body is more vulnerable to diseases…" He had already begun to doze. Echopaw sighed and rested her chin on her paws. She loved rain, but hated thunderstorms. _Maybe I could just fall asleep again…_

When Echopaw awoke again, she wasn't in the apprentices' den. She was lying in a bed of thick ashes. "Ashes?" she murmured, still half-asleep. The air was so misty that Echopaw couldn't see a mouse-length ahead of her.

"Echopaw."

She glanced around. Where was she, and who was that?

"Echopaw…"

She could just barely see the shadowy figure of a cat padding toward her through the foggy mist. Echopaw struggled to make out who it was, and realized that it was Willowbreeze.

"Willowbreeze?" Echopaw meowed. "What are you doing in my dream?"

But as the pale gray she-cat neared closer, Echopaw noticed that her eyes were blue. "You're not Willowbreeze. Her eyes are green! So…who are you?"

"I am Willowshine, little one." Her eyes glowed and Echopaw felt the fur on her neck prickle. She stayed silent as Willowshine continued. _"Three young cats from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain."_

Echopaw's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

"The three are closer than you think…"

Puzzled and still dazed, Echopaw watched Willowshine vanish. Echopaw blinked, and when she opened her eyes, water flooded her senses. It filled her ears and nose and rushed rapidly around her, swirling and sucking her underneath the surface…into the deep darkness below…

"Would you quit kicking me?"

Echopaw's eyes flew open. She glanced up to see Snowpaw standing above her; her blue eyes were narrowed and her white fur, as always, was slicked back.

"Sorry," Echopaw muttered. The rain had eased but the sky was still dark and the ground was soaked. Snowpaw padded out of the den, her tail high.

Echopaw felt Mistpaw suddenly jolt awake beside her. She turned to her sister. "Are you okay?"

Mistpaw was panting and glancing around. Her fur was bristling and her blue eyes were wide. She swallowed and nodded slowly. "Just…I just had a freaky dream."

"Me too."

There was an awkward silence until Ashpaw gave a jerk. His dark blue eyes flew open. Mistpaw prodded him with a paw. "Are you okay?"

Ashpaw panted and murmured, "I…I suppose so. Just a crazy dream."

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_Everything was…gray. The sky was _not blue; the tree trunks were not brown; the grass was not green. Everything was gray. Streampaw could feel raindrops splatter onto her fur and the gray soot beneath her paws. At first, there was no sound. But after a few heartbeats, Streampaw heard her name be called.

"Streampaw…"

Streampaw jumped and gazed around frantically, panicking. Where was she? Why was this dream so dreary and creepy?

"Streampaw…"

A gray tabby tom padded towards her. She couldn't tell whether he really had gray fur or if it was gray from everything else, but his eyes were a striking dark blue.

"You…you're Jayflight." Streampaw felt words come out of her mouth, but was too shocked to think about what she'd said.

Jayflight had an eerie expression across his face; a mysterious gaze, as though he were hiding many secrets inside. "Think again. You might want to take a closer look."

His eyes were lightening to a brighter blue. Streampaw took a pawstep back in horror. "Jayflight? What are you…what's wrong with you?"

"I am not Jayflight."

"Wha…then…who are you?"

"My name is Jayfeather, former medicine cat of ThunderClan." He padded closer to her and Streampaw flinched.

"So…what do you want from me?" she whispered. Jayfeather's eyes glowed and he murmured, _"Three young cats from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain."_

Streampaw, almost too shocked and confused to speak, managed to choke out, "What…what does that mean?"

"Just think about it, Streampaw. You'll figure it out when the time comes…" Jayfeather's figure was fading into darkness, as was the forest. Her paws suddenly felt wet. Streampaw glanced down to see water quickly rising up to her head. She gasped and tried to paddle with her forepaws, but it was no use. Water was slowly filling her nose and ears, and it sucked her down…

"Focus, Streampaw!"

She felt her paws slipping beneath her. She collapsed onto her belly in the wet sand, panting. Her mentor, Thistletail, stood beside her. "You must focus! You're mind is drifting off."

Flustered and embarrassed, Streampaw stood and shook her gray coat, a few grains of sand flying from it. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Thistletail sat there for a moment, as if wondering what to do next. "Let's end this training session for today. You seem pretty exhausted."

Streampaw nodded and stumbled away from the training hollow. _I'm such a mousebrain! _She cursed herself silently. _I just can't stop thinking about that dream. Who is Jayfeather, and what in the world does he want with me?_

Suddenly, she felt herself crash into something. Streampaw jumped back and realized that it was just Rainpaw, her brother. "Sorry!" Streampaw mewed in surprise. "What are you up to?"

"I was just taking a walk," Rainpaw muttered. "My legs are sore from training, I guess. Just trying to stretch them out."

Streampaw nodded. "I just finished a training session, and I'm going back to eat." She licked her lips. "Maybe I'll hunt a little. Want to join me? We're old enough to hunt without warriors now. It's been two moons since our apprenticeship began."

Rainpaw shook his head, shrugging. "Nah, I'm not in the mood to hunt."

"But I'm not allowed to hunt by myself!"

"Sorry. Go ask Graypaw. Maybe he'll want to."

Streampaw watched as her brother padded away. Her tail drooped and she sighed. Rainpaw was quite antisocial and reserved. She tried to get him to open up, but it was as if he was hiding something. It began to drizzle, and Streampaw hurried to the camp, not wanting to get too wet. Her mind kept flickering back to the dream. _What is so important about this dream? Why do I keep thinking about it? Perhaps I could talk to Duskshadow about it. _

Streampaw quickly shook her head, trying to clear the thought out of her mind. She could never tell _anyone_ about this dream! They would probably assume that she was going crazy. She sighed and entered the camp, still wondering about the dream.

**Ugh. Crappy ending again! Oh well, I'm just glad I got the second chapter up. Whoot! **

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	5. Three

**Woo hoo! Chapter 3! This chapter will be the POVs of Sandpaw from WindClan and Aspenpaw from ShadowClan. This will also be the last chapter of any of the other Clans' POVs. The rest will be the apprentices in RiverClan, which are the main characters. Enjoy!**

"_Would you quit bragging, Bramblepaw?" Sandpaw _growled. "Just because Shadewing chose you over Skypaw, doesn't mean you can go around, giving cats headaches!"

Bramblepaw looked taken aback, and flattened his ears. Bristling, he laid his chin back down on his paws and was silent. Rain was pouring onto the sand-blanketed ground and thunder rumbled in the distance, threatening to shake the forest with a storm. Sandpaw grimaced as Squirrelpaw, one of the newest apprentices, snuggled closer to him. He could feel her body trembling as she purred.

Sandpaw must've fallen asleep, because when he awoke, he was in a large clearing. Flowers of all types were sprinkled around him and the sky was a beautiful blue color. _This is the most peaceful place I've ever been to, _he thought contently.

A dark gray tabby kit was bouncing toward him, the flowers towering above his head. "Kestrelkit?" Sandpaw blurted out.

Kestrelkit shook his head as his body grew full-sized. Sandpaw backed away. "Kestrelkit…what's wrong with you?

"I'm not Kestrelkit." His amber eyes glowed. "I'm Kestrelwing, former medicine cat of WindClan. I have come with a message for you. _Three from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain."_

"What does that mean?"

"You are one of the three, young Sandpaw. Do your best."

"Do my best doing what?" Sandpaw demanded, but Kestrelwing was already starting to fade. "Wait! Come back! Don't just leave me here!" Water suddenly began to creep up his legs. He gasped and frantically looked around for anything to climb on; a rock, or something. But there was nothing but pitch-black darkness.

"Would you _quit_ it?"

Sandpaw jolted awake to the sound of an exasperated growl. Shrewpaw was beside him; his head was raised and his ears were halfway back. "You keep tossing and turning."

Sandpaw gave a hiss and buried his nose into his paws. _What a dream!_ He thought. _But why was Kestrelkit in it? I never really even talked to him before!_

He awoke again to the sound of an alarmed yowl. Sandpaw leapt to his paws, and, seeing how the other apprentices were darting out of the den with their fur standing on end, followed them into the clearing. A light drizzle slowly sprinkled Sandpaw's pale ginger fur and the sky was still dark, but he knew night would soon end. His mentor, Hollytail, along with two other warriors, Blazefur and Crowflight, were standing in front of the deputy, Robinflight, and talking to her. Sandpaw's sister Flowerpaw stood beside Crowflight, her ears flattened to her head and eyes bright with worry.

"What happened?" Sandpaw turned to his other sister Skypaw. She shrugged. "Maybe they found something on the moonhigh patrol."

Robinflight nodded as Hollytail finished what she was saying, then raced to Sorrelstar's den.IOsHi

After many more heartbeats, they reappeared from the den. Sorrelstar stood in front of the crowd of cats. "Cats of WindClan!" she called to get their attention. "The moonhigh patrol, which consisted of Hollytail, Blazefur, Crowflight, and Flowerpaw, has returned, claiming they scented rogue-scent on our territory!"

Sandpaw felt Skypaw's fur bristle beside him. He unsheathed his claws and sank them into the sand, wishing that they were rather sinking into the fur of those mangy rogues. "They scented them along the river. I would like to have Robinflight, Seedfur, Rabbitfoot, and Hollytail go out and try to track the scent," Sorrelstar continued.

Sandpaw knew that Seedfur and Rabbitfoot were the best trackers in the Clan, and glanced over at them as they dipped their heads in agreement. The four cats peeled from the crowd and dashed out of the camp, sand skidding up from their heels as they ran. His heart thudding, Sandpaw and Skypaw hurried over to Flowerpaw.

"What exactly happened?" Skypaw demanded. Flowerpaw's tail twitched anxiously. "We were patrolling beside the river, and…and…there was this…strange scent; one that I've never smelled before. It smelled…bitter and sour, like ShadowClan, but…mustier and dirtier."

"Did you actually see them?" Sandpaw inquired nervously. Flowerpaw shook her head. "But their scent was all along the river-in bushes, too. We also found rabbit bones! And the scent was fresh, like they'd just passed by yesterday!"

"Come on, let's go get just a little more sleep before we go training." Sandpaw began to pad towards the apprentices' den, and on his way he spotted Sunstripe and Ivyclaw, two queens, lying at the entrance to the nursery, their paws tucked under their chest. Sunstripe's kits pounced around them as they chatted.

"Don't worry, I'm sure our kits are in no danger," Sunstripe was meowing. "Our warriors won't let those mange-pelts set foot in our territory again."

Ivyclaw nodded and flexed her claws. "If they come even close to the camp, I'll have their fur lining my nest."

Sandpaw grimaced when he noticed Kestrelkit, one of Sunstripe's kits, watching his sisters and him. His expression stayed blank but his amber eyes glowed. Sandpaw shuddered as he remembered the eerie dream that Kestrelkit had haunted.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

_Aspenpaw watched as Harekit, Rockkit, and _Barkkit, his brothers, bounced around Goldpaw and Toadpaw, clearly enjoying themselves. They were _his _brothers; therefore they should be playing with Aspenpaw, right? He shook his head to clear his mind.

"What's wrong?" Toadpaw glanced up at him. "Got a fly in your brain?" Goldpaw and Toadpaw laughed at the joke. Aspenpaw didn't even bother to glance up.

"Don't worry about them," his sister Mintpaw meowed as she hurried over to him. "They're just big pieces of foxdung."

"If so, then they belong in ThunderClan," Aspenpaw muttered. Mintpaw licked him on the ear. "I've got to go. Sparrowflight wants to take me out training."

"Good bye." Aspenpaw gazed as his sister as she trotted to the camp entrance where her mentor was sitting, waiting for her. She turned back once more, waved her tail, and bounded off after Sparrowflight.

_I wish _my _mentor would take me out training, for once, _Aspenpaw thought bitterly as a few small raindrops managed to squeeze through the thick pine trees that covered the entire camp. Rushingstream, his mentor, was nice and all, but sometimes forgot to take him training. _At this rate, I'll never become a warrior!_

_But, I _am _more powerful than any cat in the forest! _His mood changed from exasperation to triumph and arrogance as he thought about the dream he'd had the previous night. A cat that he didn't know, with a dark ginger pelt, had spoken a prophecy to him: _Three from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain._

Aspenpaw just _knew_ this prophecy was about him! If not, why would this mysterious cat come to him in a dream and tell him? It was like a mouse running straight into his claws-the answer was so clear, he could hardly wait for the 'thunder and rain'.

"What are you daydreaming about now, Aspenpaw?"

The young gray tom jumped and turned quickly. A senior warrior, Nettleclaw, was standing before him. "Why don't you do something useful rather than standing around the camp staring off into the sky?"

Flustered, Aspenpaw nodded, dipped his head, and scurried away, in search of something to do. To his relief, Tinyfoot and Lightfeather called him over to help repair a hole in the nursery wall.

Volekit and Applekit tumbled out of the nursery, and, to their amusement, began wrestling with a tendril of bramble. Aspenpaw lifted it up away from them. "Don't play with the brambles, okay? We need them to patch up the hole."

In curiosity, the two kits crept around to peek into the hole. Tinyfoot sighed in frustration. "Can you please leave us alone? We're busy here!"

Aspenpaw watched as Volekit and Applekit frowned and scampered off. He'd never seen Tinyfoot so snappy! He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but didn't want to pester. Sighing, he continued grabbing more brambles and handing them to Lightfeather.

Suddenly, Aspenpaw heard a joyous cry. Pouncetail and Thrushfeather were nuzzling each other, both with a look of pure contentment on their faces.

"What's going on?" Tinyfoot asked, hurrying over to her Clanmates. Thrushfeather gave a little bounce. "I'm expecting Pouncetail's kits!"

Aspenpaw felt his heart leap. Thrushfeather was having kits! Deep inside Aspenpaw always knew she would have them, but she seemed so…fun! She really loved being a warrior, and most cats thought she'd never give that up to bear kits. Pouncetail helped her into the nursery, where, through the hole, Aspenpaw could see him preparing her a nest.

"I would love to have kits one day!" Aspenpaw heard Lightfeather sigh to Tinyfoot, who shook her head furiously. "I wouldn't! I would hate being cooped up in the nursery all day doing nothing, and then, sooner or later, have to take care of all these bundles of pestering fur!"

Aspenpaw sighed, wishing he knew if his mother, whoever she was, felt the same way about his siblings and him.

**Um…basically, Aspenpaw and his siblings don't know who their parents are. I know, the ending was horrible! But I realized that the Aspenpaw segment was getting way too long, so I had to cut it short. Sorry! I hope you enjoyed it. From now on, the rest of the chapters will be from only one POV of one of the three RiverClan apprentices involved in the prophecy. See ya.**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	6. Four

**Chapter 4, which is from Ashpaw's POV!**

_Ashpaw awoke to talking outside the _den. He opened his eyes, revealing shining dark blue pools, and yawned. It was the middle of the night; who could still be awake?

Hoping he wasn't heard, he crept out of the den to see the silhouette of two cats sitting across the clearing side-by-side, staring up into the dark sky. As he neared closer, he could just make out Cinderstar and Leafwhisper, the medicine cat. Ashpaw strained his ears, trying to hear their conversation, but sadly failed. He crawled along the gorse that surrounded the camp towards the spot that they sat, and leapt into the bushes as he realized that he could understand what they were saying.

"…And the ground was covered in ashes. The air was so misty that I couldn't see anything until a gray tabby cat padded over to me," Leafwhisper was telling her leader. "She gave me a prophecy: _Three from each of the four will unite and risk their lives battling against the thunder and rain."_

Through the darkness, Ashpaw could see Cinderstar's shocked and puzzled expression. "What…what is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know." Leafwhisper shook her head. "Then I was in the darkness except for Silverpelt over me and a small pool of water in front of me that looked like the Moonpool. Rain was falling and drops splashed into the pool, creating a ripple. It showed me the picture of two blurry gray cats that were both carrying small gray bundles of fur. Another darker gray thing was following them. It was stormy and windy, and it felt as though I were there with them. I was terribly cold and tired and the ground was wet and ashy beneath my paws."

Cinderstar was silent for a moment, and then meowed, "How strange. I wish I knew what this could mean! If only I knew…" She shook her head.

"Don't blame yourself, Cinderstar." Leafwhisper ran her tail comfortingly along Cinderstar's flank. "I, too, cannot understand this. But I think the three bundles of gray stuff are kits. I'm not sure we have any three gray kits in the Clan."

"Perhaps Nightfeather will give birth to them soon!" Cinderstar exclaimed.

"Yes! She is very close to giving birth to them. Good thinking!"

"Well, we should get back to our dens so we're not tired tomorrow." Ashpaw watched as the two she-cats parted, both entering their own den. He waited until they disappeared, then crept out of the gorse and into the apprentices' den, wondering what that prophecy meant. Leafwhisper must've seen all this in a dream or a vision. He curled back up into his nest, but couldn't fall asleep because he kept thinking about what he had just heard. Finally, he slowly dozed off.

"Wake up, Ashpaw!"

Ashpaw opened his eyes and gazed up to see Owlpaw standing over him. "Mossheart wants you on the dawn patrol."

Groaning inwardly, Ashpaw heaved himself to his paws and stumbled out of the apprentices' den. The air was damp and thick, and the sky was grayish-white. Mossheart was devouring a vole beside Splashfur and Sageleaf. Ashpaw snatched a mouse from the pile, hurried over to join them, and settled down to eat.

"The Gathering is soon," Sageleaf commented. "I wonder who Cinderstar will choose to take? I hope I can go."

"Me too!" Splashfur agreed. "It'll be my first Gathering as a warrior! Maybe she'll take Willowbreeze and Sprucefoot too!"

"I'll let her know that you're dying to go," Mossheart meowed, swiping her tongue over her mouth. "For now, let's head on out." The four cats rose to their paws, shook their coats, and hurried out of the camp.

Ashpaw gazed around the damp forest. Wet leaves had fallen and the grass was covered in dew and rain. His dark gray fur stuck up from the thickness of the air. He yawned; the dreariness of the forest was making him sleepy.

"Didn't get enough sleep, huh?" Sageleaf commented. Ashpaw turned to him and shook his head. "No, it's just…everything is so dreary."

Sageleaf was Ashpaw's uncle, and he and Silverstripe were very close. Ashpaw sighed, wishing he and his sisters were as close as they were. Maybe Echopaw was, but Mistpaw could never be very tight with Ashpaw.

Once the patrol reached the river, Ashpaw immediately scented WindClan. He narrowed his eyes to see two cats dashing toward the river.

As they neared closer, he could make out a black and white tom and a small brown tabby tom. Finally they reached the edge of their territory.

"Runningbreeze, what in the name of StarClan has sent you here?" Mossheart demanded.

"ThunderClan…are attacking!" he panted. Ashpaw could see three long claw marks down the side of his flank, and the small tabby tom had a ripped ear and a scratched cheek. "Please…help us! There are…too many of them!"

Ashpaw froze, and heartbeats hammered by slowly as they waited for Mossheart's reaction. She turned to Ashpaw and Splashfur. "Go to the camp and fetch a patrol of cats. Quickly!"

The two cats nodded, spun around, and began to dart towards the camp. Once there, they burst through the entrance and immediately raced to Eaglefeather, the deputy, to give him the news. "ThunderClan are attacking the WindClan camp!" Splashfur gasped, her tortoiseshell fur bristling with excitement and surprise. "We came across two WindClan cats at the river on our patrol and they begged us to bring some of our cats to help them!"

Eaglefeather didn't appear shocked; Ashpaw wondered how he didn't panic. _He _would've, if _he_ were deputy!

"Everyone, listen up!" Eaglefeather announced. "ThunderClan are attacking WindClan! We are going to take a patrol of cats to help WindClan. Ravenflight, Rosethorn, Stormfeather, Gorseclaw, Ripplepaw, and Morningpaw, come with me."

Ashpaw fell into step beside Morningpaw as they dashed across the grass to the river. He had a big crush on her when they were kits, but now Ashpaw felt as though she ignored him. He didn't like her much anymore, but Ashpaw knew there was still a little love for her left over from being a kit.

Once they reached the river, the patrol crossed the stepping stones and immediately heard yowls and screeches. _This must be a really big fight!_ Ashpaw thought. He wished his sisters were there with him. Mossheart and Sageleaf joined them on the other side of the river, both looking worried.

Soon the grass underneath his paws turned to sand, much rougher than the sand at the training area. Finally they arrived to a dip in the ground that led to a hollow. There, Ashpaw could see cats fighting against each other. By the looks of it, ThunderClan was winning.

Eaglefeather gave a yowl and the patrol plunged into the WindClan camp. Sand skidded from underneath Ashpaw's heels as he darted toward the nearest ThunderClan apprentice. He recognized the black tom as Reedpaw; Ashpaw had met him at their first Gathering. He was quiet and a bit rude and full of himself.

Ashpaw flung himself onto Reedpaw, who was scrabbling his hind claws against the soft underbelly of a ginger WindClan apprentice. Reedpaw gave a hiss of surprise and toppled to the ground. Ashpaw pressed his forepaw against Reedpaw's head, smashing his face into the sand.

Suddenly, a great weight knocked Ashpaw off of Reedpaw. Gasping, Ashpaw glanced up to see a gray-brown tabby tom springing toward him. Ashpaw quickly jumped out of the way. The ThunderClan apprentice crashed to the ground. Triumphantly, Ashpaw tackled him and dug his claws into the apprentice's shoulders.

"Give up yet?" Ashpaw hissed into his ear.

"Never!" The apprentice heaved upward, twisted in the air, and flew towards his opponent. Ashpaw stumbled backward and landed in the sand as the apprentice pinned him down. He lowered his head down for the killing bite.

**Lol, another one of my dumb cliffie endings! XD Well, will Ashpaw live? Of course he will! He's one of the main characters. See ya!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	7. Five

**School is about to start again! DDDD: I HATE school so much! I'll definitely not update this as much. Sorry. ):**

"What's happening?" Mistpaw and Echopaw dashed out of the apprentices' den. Warriors sat in the center of the clearing, looking afraid and weary. Mistpaw darted over to Redpaw and Pinepaw, the youngest apprentices at the moment, who both sat a fox-length from the warriors. "What's going on? Why does everyone look so…scared?"

Redpaw flexed his claws. "ThunderClan is attacking WindClan!"

"Yeah!" Pinepaw piped up. "And a patrol just left to help fend off ThunderClan!"

"So…why is this _our_ battle?" Mistpaw felt anger streaking up her spine. Why should RiverClan risk some of their own warriors' lives for some other Clan's battle?

"Well…we can't just say no." Echopaw padded over to the three apprentices and sat down beside her sister. Mistpaw turned to the two toms. "So do you know where Ashpaw is? Did he go off to fight?"

"Yeah," Redpaw answered. He was crouched down, practicing his hunting technique. "He was on the patrol that found out that WindClan was being attacked. Eaglefeather also chose Morningpaw and Ripplepaw to go with the group."

Echopaw's eyes widened. "So…Ashpaw is out there right now, fighting? Oh, StarClan, be with him!"

"He's capable of fighting, you know." Mistpaw glanced at Echopaw. Why was she so worried? Mistpaw was worried too, but she was worried for the whole patrol that went there, not just Ashpaw. She knew that Ashpaw was strong enough to ward off a couple of measly ThunderClan apprentices.

"I know, but…" Echopaw shuffled her paws and her tail-tip twitched nervously. She glanced back up at Mistpaw, a defiant but slightly amused look on her face. "I have a right to be worried, _you know._" She mocked Mistpaw's voice.

Mistpaw cuffed her on the ear, hoping Echopaw was just kidding around. She was. Echopaw shoved Mistpaw over with her sheathed forepaws and pinned her down. Mistpaw loved having such a fun sister, but she switched personalities. She was shy and timid, but when with her siblings, fun and wild.

Mistpaw heard a squeal, and felt balls of fur topple onto her. Echopaw gave a yelp of surprise and stumbled off of her sister. Mistpaw glanced up to see Icepool's three kits: Foxkit, Bouncekit, and Frozenkit. Bouncekit batted Echopaw's tail while Foxkit clung to the silver she-cat's back. Frozenkit wove herself between Echopaw's forepaws, attempting to trip her. Mistpaw laughed as Echopaw tumbled to the ground, and the three kits tackled her.

"You guys shouldn't be so light-hearted at a time like this." Snowpaw padded over to the apprentices. "Your fellow Clanmates could be dying right now."

"We _know_ that." Pinepaw stuck up for Mistpaw and Echopaw. "We're just trying to lighten the mood."

"Was I talking to you?" Snowpaw glared at Pinepaw, who stuck his tongue out at her. "You're so immature!" she added. Then she turned to Mistpaw and Echopaw. "Mossheart and Brackenclaw want everyone to hide, because they think that ThunderClan and ShadowClan have allied, and are planning to attack RiverClan and WindClan. They think ShadowClan will ambush us."

Mistpaw and Echopaw exchanged nervous glances. Redpaw stepped forward. "Why do they think that?"

"Supposedly there are some ShadowClan cats mixed in with ThunderClan that are attacking WindClan," Snowpaw replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Really." Redpaw cocked his head, looking as though he didn't believe her at all. Snowpaw nodded. "Yes. You should run along now and do what Brackenclaw and Mossheart say." She waved her tail.

Redpaw's ears flicked in annoyance. "Why don't you?"

Snowpaw ruffled her pelt and shot him an aggravated look. "I'm just doing what all the warriors tell me to do: look out for _you_ guys and make sure you're doing everything that you need to."

Mistpaw rolled her eyes. Just because Snowpaw was older, she thought she could boss the younger apprentices around. She even bossed around Ripplepaw, who only had about another half-moon before he became a warrior. _Someday, I'll put Snowpaw in her place,_ Mistpawthought determinedly.

A shrill yowl split through the crackling tension in the air. Mistpaw felt Echopaw bristle beside her. The anxious murmuring of the RiverClan cats around her grew louder. "So why are we risking our lives for WindClan?" Mistpaw muttered, and Echopaw shrugged. "They're too weak, probably." Mistpaw twitched her whiskers.

Suddenly, Morningpaw dashed into the camp. Her tortoiseshell fur was streaked with blood and her green eyes were glazed with fear. "A Sh-ShadowClan patrol is coming…to attack us!" She gasped for air.

Dread prickled the fur on Mistpaw's neck.

"Eaglefeather w-wanted everyone to hide, to m-make it seem like we aren't here," Morningpaw continued, panting and gulping in mouthfuls of air. "Then s-someone will yowl, and everyone will attack."

Brackenclaw stepped forward. "I'll yowl." The senior warrior turned to the rest of the Clan. "Hide. Queens, take your kits into the elders' den. I need a few warriors to guard it during the battle."

Echopaw at her heels, Mistpaw bounded to a wide log that the apprentices usually ate around. It was in a cool, shady spot underneath a few lush trees. She ducked behind it and waited, trying to breathe as quietly as she could.

She felt fur brush her flank, and she turned. Silverstripe was crouching beside her, her blue eyes wide with vigilance. Mistpaw's whiskers quivered as she locked her eyes on the camp entrance, waiting for any sign of movement, and for Brackenclaw's warning yowl.

"Don't worry," Silverstripe whispered to Mistpaw. "Ashpaw is fine."

"It's not Ashpaw I'm worried about." Mistpaw glanced down at her paws. "I'm nervous about fighting."

"Oh, this is your first battle!" Silverstripe remembered. "I remember my first battle. It was against ShadowClan. I was so nervous at first, but then when I started fighting, I felt exhilarated and excited. Energy just burst through me and I suddenly remembered all my fighting skills and everything."

Now a bit more optimistic, Mistpaw turned back to the entrance and waited for the signal.

Suddenly, cats horded into the camp, snarling and hissing, their claws unsheathed and glimmering in the sun. Mistpaw's heart nearly stopped, but she remained silent and dug her claws into the ground to steady herself. ShadowClan! Mistpaw could smell their rancid, sour scent. _They're going to make our whole camp smell like crowfood,_ she thought bitterly, wrinkling her nose.

The ShadowClan cats glanced around for a moment, and then darted towards the nursery. An angry yowl split the air, and the RiverClan cats swarmed out from their hiding spots and into the clearing. The battle had begun.

**XD Cheesy ending there. Sorry about that!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


	8. Six

**Here's Echopaw!**

_Echopaw immediately flung herself at a _gray apprentice. Echopaw bowled the she-cat over, pinning her down on her flank. The apprentice squealed in terror and slashed her claws at Echopaw's muzzle. Echopaw hissed and toppled to the ground. The ShadowClan apprentice charged at her. Echopaw quickly leapt out of the way and lashed out with her forepaw, raking her claws along the gray apprentice's flank. She let out a thin wail and scrabbled away. Echopaw triumphantly watched her gallop out of the camp, and suddenly heard a yowl.

Echopaw glanced around, and noticed a blue-gray she-cat and a gray tabby tom sneaking towards the nursery. The queens were still in there, unprotected! Echopaw knew that it was dangerous for such an inexperienced apprentice to attack a full-grown warrior, but she had to save the queens. She drew in a deep breath and launched herself at the gray tabby. He yowled in defiance as she landed squarely on his back, digging her claws deep into his shoulders. Beside them, Echopaw was vaguely aware of Sprucefoot tussling with the blue-gray she-cat.

Her enemy reared up onto his hind legs, and Echopaw sank her claws in deeper, struggling to keep her grip. He hissed and snapped his jaws at her, apparently trying to at least nip her tail, but failed. He shook his body harshly, and Echopaw flew off his back and crashed to the ground. She prepared herself for him to turn on her and attack, but he was pelting across the clearing and toward the camp entrance.

Echopaw smiled and jumped to her paws. Sprucefoot and the blue-gray she-cat were locked in battle, both up on their hind legs and clawing at each other's pelts. Echopaw turned, only to crash into a large golden tabby tom. His amber eyes blazed with anger.

"Hello, little kit," he snarled, taking a pawstep forward. "I'm Goldpaw."

Echopaw took a step backwards, only to bump into someone else. She turned to see a dark gray tabby tom, about the size of Goldpaw. She bristled and gave a small whimper.

"I saw you practically rip the pelt off of Mousefoot," the dark gray tabby apprentice growled. "Now it's time for your pelt to be ripped off."

The apprentice nodded to Goldpaw, who sprang at Echopaw. She gave a yelp of fright and flailed her unsheathed paws, hoping to catch them on Goldpaw's pelt or head. Instead, the apprentices tumbled across the clearing, hissing and spitting, in a flurry of silver and gold fur. Finally Goldpaw pinned her down and called, "Toadpaw!"

The dark gray tabby tom hurried over to them and grinned. Echopaw writhed under Goldpaw's harsh grip, but he wouldn't let go. Toadpaw pressed his paw against her forehead and sank his teeth into her throat. Echopaw felt the ground spinning underneath her, and darkness crept into her eyesight. The last thing she heard was someone yowl, _"Echopaw!"_

xxxxxx**Random POV**xxxxxx

A blue-gray apprentice, smelling of ThunderClan, struck Toadpaw's head with his forepaw. Toadpaw stumbled backwards, away from the silver tabby she-cat's limp body. "R-Rainpaw?"

Goldpaw stared at the ThunderClan apprentice. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the _other_ battle!"

Rainpaw snarled. "Warriors do not kill to win." He tackled Toadpaw, who let out a yelp of surprise. Goldpaw tried to tug Rainpaw off of his Clanmate. "Rainpaw! What are you doing? You're on our side!"

Rainpaw slashed his claws across Toadpaw's head and repeated, louder this time, "Warriors do not kill to win!"

xxxxxx**Echopaw's POV**xxxxxx

Muffled voices awoke Echopaw out of her unconscious sleep. She groaned and blinked open her eyes.

"Echopaw!" A smoky black tom nuzzled her, and she mumbled, "Ashpaw?"

"Is Echopaw awake?" Leafwhisper bolted into the patients' den and gasped. "Echopaw! Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Echopaw's head was spinning and her neck hurt. "I…I feel fine."

Leafwhisper turned back to the cave she'd just come out of. "Owlpaw! Fetch me some more cobwebs and marigold!"

After a few heartbeats, Owlpaw entered the patients' den with a few leaves clamped in his jaws. He handed the leaves to Leafwhisper. She shook her head. "No, I want you to do it."

Owlpaw nodded unsurely and chewed the leaves into a pulp. He spread the juice onto Echopaw's throat, and the stinging was soothed. Then he unraveled a swab of cobweb from around his paw and placed it on the wound, gently patting it in place. He turned to Leafwhisper. "Did I do well?"

She nodded. "Yes." Then she glanced at Echopaw. "You're very lucky that you're alive, Echopaw. A ThunderClan apprentice dragged you to my den and demand that you be seen to at once."

The words floated through Echopaw's ears, and she tried to comprehend what the medicine cat was saying. Exhaustion pressed against her eyelids, and she longed for sleep. But she shoved them open and waited for Leafwhisper to say more.

"Will she be all right?" Ashpaw asked, not taking his eyes off of his sister.

"That's in the paws of StarClan," Leafwhisper murmured. "Let her get some rest, Ashpaw. Now let me take a look at that long scratch on your belly."

The voices grew fainter as Echopaw let herself drift into an uneasy sleep.

Echopaw was running. The trees flashed by her and her paws thundered against the ground as she pumped her legs harder, faster. The sky was blood red and glowed an eerie orange light over the forest. Where was she running? _Why_ was she running? She didn't know, but all she knew was that she had to get there quickly.

Someone was calling her name.

"Echopaw!"

She didn't stop running. She _had_ to get to…wherever she was going!

"Echopaw!" The voice was louder this time, and jolted Echopaw out of her sleep.

"Are you okay?" It was Mistpaw. "You were thrashing in your sleep."

Echopaw slowed her breathing down. "I…I'm okay. I was just having a…a strange dream."

**Where was Echopaw going? I don't know! Actually, I do. X3 Hope you liked!**

**xx-Starfall-xx**


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